This invention relates to a stanchion for use on intermodal rail cars, and, more particularly, to such stanchion which is reversible to allow semi-trailers to be supported while facing either forward or aft of the rail car.
Stanchions for use on intermodal railway cars are well known in the art. Typically, these stanchions are used on so-called "piggy back" intermodal rail cars to secure over-the-road trailers on the rail car. In recent years, railroads have developed large terminals for handling intermodal shipments in which the trailers are lifted on and off the car either by means of a bridge crane straddling the track, or by means of large fork lifts or the like. In certain applications, to give shippers additional flexibility, such intermodal cars are designed to handle large containers as well as over-the-road trailers. So that the rail car may have this dual use capability, it is necessary that the stanchion be retractable so that it will not interfere with the container when the rail car is used to transport containers. Typically, these retractable stanchions are moved from their lowered or retracted position to their erected or raised position either manually, through use of a manually operated screw jack mechanism or the like, or are erected using the crane to lift the retracted hitch.
Typically, a retractable stanchion includes a first or generally vertical strut and a second or diagonal strut. The upper ends of these struts are pivotally connected to a hitch head which serves as a fifth wheel for supporting the front end of the trailer and for positively holding the trailer on the rail car. The hitch head includes releasable jaws or the like for positively engaging the king pin of the trailer. The stanchion is typically the only means holding the trailer in place on the rail car when it is underway. At the rail car destination, the hitch head is actuated to release the trailer kingpin so as to permit the trailer to be off-loaded.
In addition to the manually operable or crane operable retractable stanchion described above, another known stanchion is referred to as a tractor operated stanchion. As an alternative to utilizing a crane or other lifting equipment to load and off load trailers from an intermodal railway car, it is well known to use a "circus" loading/off-loading technique in which a trailer coupled to a tractor is driven lengthwise onto the rail cars and from one car to another until reaching a desired position. The tractor engages a retracted stanchion on the car, raises the stanchion, and transfers the trailer from the tractor to the raised stanchion. Likewise, in off-loading a trailer, the tractor actuates a retraction mechanism for the stanchion and transfers the trailer from the stanchion to the tractor while permitting the stanchion to move to its retracted position.
One significant problem experienced with circus loading using prior art stanchion systems is assuring that all cars in an intermodal train are arranged such that the stanchions are located at a position on the rail car in alignment with an end of a semi-trailer to be supported. More particularly, as the semi-trailers are driven onto the rail cars, usually from one end of the train of cars, the trailers are all aligned in the same direction. If a rail car is reversed in the train, the stanchion will not be oriented in the right direction to accept a kingpin on the semi-trailer. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for reversing stanchion orientation without reversal of the associated rail car.